Madison, Indiana?

posted at 1:36 pm on February 22, 2011 by Ed Morrissey

At what point does the decision to hold democracy hostage transform from a localized example of petulance to a national strategy? Perhaps when Democrats try to paralyze another state legislature whose agenda they cannot control … say, in Indiana, for example:

House Democrats are leaving the state rather than vote on anti-union legislation, The Indianapolis Star has learned.

A source said Democrats are headed to Illinois, though it was possible some also might go to Kentucky. They need to go to a state with a Democratic governor to avoid being taken into police custody and returned to Indiana.

The House was came into session this morning, with only two of the 40 Democrats present. Those two were needed to make a motion, and a seconding motion, for any procedural steps Democrats would want to take to ensure Republicans don’t do anything official without quorum.

The issue? Same as in Wisconsin. Republicans in the legislature have offered a bill that addresses union prerogatives. In comparison to the proposal in Wisconsin, however, this one is rather mild. It would bar unions and private-sector firms from establishing rules that require non-union employees from being forced to pay representation “fees,” a back door for forced dues payments. It puts teeth in the open-shop environment, and it’s broader in scope than the Wisconsin bill (which only applied to public-sector unions), but it doesn’t restrict collective bargaining rights at all.

Democrats in Indiana may only be staging a momentary walkout as a way to express solidarity with their colleagues in Wisconsin — or more accurately, their Wisconsin colleagues who have fled the state rather than allow the elected legislature to conduct business. Even a symbolic walkout carries significant and deeply damaging consequences to representative democracy, however, as I explain in my column at The Week today (specific link later when posted):

The true test of a representative democracy comes not in an election, but in the aftermath of an election. If the losing party or parties in the election recognize their loss and continue to participate in self-governance, then representative democracy works. When the losing side refuses to participate and boycotts governance, especially in such a manner that vital legislative work gets obstructed, then representative democracy itself is threatened. …

The fleeing Democrats have essentially stolen the will of the public and their right to self-governance. Wisconsin voters elected Republicans to majorities in both chambers and Walker as their executive by convincing margins. The minority in representative democracy has a right to be heard, but do not have the right to stop the process of governance by shutting down the legislature. In essence, those state Senators who went on the lam have attempted to overturn the last election through unprecedented and illegal obstruction and dereliction of duty. They have demonstrated the haughty arrogance of those who refuse to accept their role as public servants and instead make themselves into autocrats.

If Republicans overreached with their budget-repair bill and unfairly restricted the rights of unions, then let Democrats go on record opposing the bill and make it the centerpiece of the next legislative election in Wisconsin. Under the circumstances, though, the Democrats who have tried to hijack democracy in order to dictate terms should be the ones who fear the next election the most.

Given the White House and DNC involvement in the Madison protests, it seems clear that this has become a national strategy on the part of Democrats — to run out on legislatures where they hold the minority, and to hijack government in an attempt to make the majority the servant of the minority. The party should change its name to the Anti-Democrats … or, since they seem enamored of running away as a political tactic, we can take a page from their book and call them Fleebaggers instead.

Blowback

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What is to keep some patriotic citizen from throwing a sack over these fleebaggers heads, stuff them in a trunk and drive them over the boarder and call the state patrol to come and get them? I’m just saying!

Everybody get on your feet, you make me nervous when you in your seat
Take off your shoes and throw them away, come back and get them some other day
Fleebaggin’, Fleebaggin’, Fleebaggin’, Fleebaggin’

Went to a party the other night, Long Tall Sally was out of sight

Threw way her wig, and her high heels too, she was doin a dance without any shoes

She’s fleebaggin’, she fleebaggin’, fleebaggin’, fleebaggin’

Hey little gal with the red dress on, I bet you can fleebag all night long
Take off your shoes and and tap your feet, we’re doin a dance that can’t be beat
We’re fleebaggin’, we’re fleebaggin’, fleebaggin’, fleebaggin’

Lil John Henry told Peggy Sue, if I fleebag would you fleebag too
Sue told John, “I’ll take you to school, I been fleebaggin’ since I was two

Fleebaggin’, fleebaggin’, fleebaggin’, fleebaggin’

So everybody get on your feet, you make me nervous when you’re in your seat
Take off your shoes and throw them away, come back and get them some other day
We’re fleebaggin’, fleebaggin’, fleebaggin’, fleebaggin’

What is to keep some patriotic citizen from throwing a sack over these fleebaggers heads, stuff them in a trunk and drive them over the boarder and call the state patrol to come and get them? I’m just saying!

There’s a reason for that. Barry is in Cleveland today, and he told some businessmen there that just like everyone else, his administration is working hard to tighten budgets and live within their means.

You think I’m kidding? I’m not. In fact, Rush said that MSNBC cut away from Barry’s speech just after he said this. Apparently even the state-run media can’t figure out how to spin the president being in one state saying we have to live within our means while his minions are in another state demanding we do exactly the opposite.

At some point here, the lies are no longer going to be able to work for him. What happens then?

UnderstandingisPower on February 22, 2011 at 2:19 PM

You gotta wonder, with Barry in Cleveland and Democrats running away in Indiana, whether Gov. Kasich might decide to borrow an idea from the WisconsIndiana playbook.

But Barry will fix it–just abrogate the NAFTA treaty, so that Canadian oil is so expensive that people will buy Solyntra solar panels.

Given the White House and DNC involvement in the Madison protests, it seems clear that this has become a national strategy on the part of Democrats — to run out on legislatures where they hold the minority, and to hijack government in an attempt to make the majority the servant of the minority

I don’t think there is a constitutional mechanism that provides for firing state representatives. Other than election day that is. Oh, and impeachment. I much prefer the Repubs going after any and all legislation that doesn’t require a quroum (sp).

I think it’s factually accurate to say that the Democrats are engaged in an anti-democratic revolt, qualifying them as re\/olutionaries, and therefor I propose that the “R” word should no longer be filtered here since our opponents are already involved in such behavior.

The WH apparatus supporting unions against the states. The WH against the border states and suing them. The WH against the coastal states and their drilling. The WH against the rest of the country by not allowing any drilling. Does anybody see anything here. We are in the middle of a war waged on this country by the Democrat Party and its boss in the WH. Our Legislature better get their stuff together and get this guy out of office as well as all his minions/flying monkeys. We will shortly be Somalia or some other third world crap hole if action is not taken.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — State senators who miss two or more session days will no longer get paid through direct deposit. They’ll have to pick up their checks in person on the Senate floor during a session.
The new rule is aimed at forcing the return of 14 Senate Democrats who have been hiding in Illinois since Thursday. They fled the state to stall a vote on an anti-union bill, and have threatened to stay away until Republican Gov. Scott Walker agrees to compromise.
Tuesday’s vote was along party lines. The three Republicans on the Committee on Senate Organization voted for it and the two Democrats opposed it.
The measure applies to paychecks, per diem checks, and any expense reimbursements. The absent senators will have to collect their checks from the Senate majority leader

So Mitch Daniels is against Indiana’s bill? Obviously, he’s not running for president. What an idiot.

Terrie on February 22, 2011 at 4:21 PM

No, he thinks he has a chance, which makes him twice the idiot. But once the idiot is enough. This is what you will ALWAYS get with people like Daniels. His speech at CPAC was shot through with the pseudo-Socratic sanctimony of the elitist. And a self-loathing one at that. He’s here to tell all of us barbaric conservatives how the world really works, and make sure we regularly and dutifully demonstrate our qualities of conciliation and submissiveness to the mainstream liberal intelligentsia. Otherwise we might look or sound like Rush! God forbid!

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Senate has approved a bill to limit teachers’ collective bargaining rights despite objections from minority Democrats and hundreds of union members protesting in the Statehouse.

The Republican-ruled Senate voted 30-19 Tuesday to approve the bill, which is part of Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels’ aggressive education agenda.

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Senate has approved a bill to limit teachers’ collective bargaining rights despite objections from minority Democrats and hundreds of union members protesting in the Statehouse.

The Republican-ruled Senate voted 30-19 Tuesday to approve the bill, which is part of Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels’ aggressive education agenda.

Conservalicious on February 22, 2011 at 5:02 PM

That’s the Senate. The lack of quorum was in the House.

Also, B!tch has since come out and said that he wants to pass this bill… but not at the expense of his other legislation.

I hope the Republican Governors have met previously to all these events and have developed a strategy of their own to battle these issues. Just to say they must handle it and fire all the strikers, like Reagan did, back in the day, is not enough. There does appear to be a strategy and it’s very important that the Republican Governors and State Reps in each state are on the same page with what works.

If the Govs and Reps have not met, they need to do so very quickly. This is all about to get out of hand. Part of this Repub strategy needs to include our National Repub leaders including the RNC.

Funds need to be allocated for the promotion of Conservative ideas and reminding people constantly, that their particular state is in deep doo doo, financially.

This needs to be a nation-wide response, not just one on a local level!

If this turns out to be another ’1960′s anti-war movement’ type of attack on states, then we must have a united front.

These types of community organizers and union thugs are the terrorists. An effective defense and offense is vital.